


the water's sweet (but blood is thicker)

by supernova_darling



Category: GreedFall (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE END OF GREEDFALL, Male De Sardet (GreedFall)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:55:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22146046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supernova_darling/pseuds/supernova_darling
Summary: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE END OF GREEDFALLDe Sardet wants more than anything to save his cousin. Maybe, he thinks, maybe he can pull Constantin back from the edge.(Previously "come home.")
Relationships: Constantin d'Orsay & De Sardet
Comments: 7
Kudos: 29





	the water's sweet (but blood is thicker)

**Author's Note:**

> for the record, I'm glad there isn't an option to save constantin. that kind of would've ruined the end of the game. like, the whole point is that you spend the entire time trying to save him and at the end you can't. so this is in no way me saying the game creators should've done this. I'm glad they didn't. BUT, fan-wise, I love constantin and I wanted to indulge myself in a happy ending for him. 
> 
> the title's from avicii's [hey brother](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxIiPLVR6NA), of course.
> 
> I just rewatched the force awakens & the last jedi and then went to see the rise of skywalker in theaters. if you squint, I sorta kinda stole a bit of the dialogue from [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNQYDNKVDuo) scene of ben and rey in the last jedi. AND I made an [edit](https://rainbowjames.tumblr.com/post/190055955128/dont-do-this-ben-please-dont-go-this-way) of the two scenes, go check it out!!

“I do not desire your death… I’m sorry.”

Rage swelled in James’ chest, and he marched up to his cousin. “Why?” he demanded. “Why have you done this?!”

Constantin stared at him, shock clear on his face. “But for you!” he exclaimed, and it broke James’ heart to hear his voice so pleading. “For us. So that we may live free at _last._ ”

James shook his head. “This makes no sense! Constantin, it’s madness!”

“You don’t understand because you’re still attached to the old world,” Constantin said, scowling. “This old, _dying_ world, which, to survive, has betrayed, used, and _manipulated_ us and would not have hesitated to kill us.”

The anger in his cousin’s voice made James feel desperate. “Perhaps, but—”

“I’ve seen death, cousin,” Constantin told him, his voice quieter than before. “And I understood the _vanity_ of it all.” He scowled again, and James wished he would stop making that face. “My father’s ruses, just so he could earn more power; the political _bowing_ and _scraping_ to preserve corrupted nations. I have been offered _unrivalled_ power allowing me to get _rid_ of this. To send the old world back to it’s inevitable death and to build something _new_ here, something unique!” Constantin paused, seemed to almost smile before thinking better of it. “And this new world is my gift to you. You and I could be its new gods! The immortal and benevolent monarchs!” He did smile now, brightly, and it made James want to cry.

“You don’t want this,” James whispered brokenly. “You never wanted power, you just wanted us to be free, to be _happy._ ” James stepped towards Constantin, trying his hardest to keep the tears from his eyes. “We almost had that, we were so, _so_ close. Please, Constantin,” James begged, taking his cousin’s hands in his, “please, it’s not too late. We can still have that. You can come home. Please, come _home._ ”

A flicker of something like doubt crossed Constantin’s features before he locked it away. “No, no, you’re still lost, you still don’t _understand—”_ He tore his hands from James’, turning to walk away. “You need to let go of the old world,” he told James, his back still turned. “You need to let it go.”

James’ anger filled him once more, this time much more desperate. His hands shook, but he knew not whether it was from his rage or his sadness. “Can’t you see how _foolish_ this is?” Constantin didn’t respond. James strode over to him in fury and grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to look. “Wake _up,_ Constantin! This is _madness!_ Would you really doom an entire island full of life for something you’ve never even _wanted?_ ”

Constantin looked past him, his eyes blank. James took him by the shoulders and shook him roughly, making Constantin blink and meet his gaze. “You don’t want this, Constantin,” James pleaded, softer now. “You don’t want this, and neither do I. Can’t we just go home? Back to how it was? I want that. I want it more than anything. Don’t you?”

Finally, Constantin seemed to break out of his reverie, and for the first time in a long while, James felt that his cousin was really _seeing_ him. “Yes,” he whispered, his voice sounding much like a scared child’s. “Yes, I do. Oh, dear cousin,” Constantin’s eyes began to fill with tears, “what have I done? What have I done?”

“Nothing I won’t fix,” James promised, pulling Constantin into his arms.

Constantin held him tightly, fingers digging into the back of his coat. “Can we go home, cousin?” he asked, quiet, and James smiled with tears in his eyes.

“Yes, Constantin. Let’s go home.”


End file.
